South Korea: The Definitive Art Experience

Morning flight from the U.S. to Seoul.

Arrive today at Incheon Airport and transfer to our hotel. Incheon airport is ranked in the top ten airports worldwide and was granted the title ‘Best Airport in the World’ by Global Traveler for four consecutive years. Welcome dinner. (5 Nights)

Morning tour of the National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, Seoul. MMCA Seoul opened in November 2013. MMCA Seoul is an art and culture complex. It introduced Korea’s traditional architectural concept of ‘madang’, a spacious courtyard where people can socialize. Click here to see photos. Next, we have lunch at Samcheondong Street. Its charm remains intact to this day, an oasis of shops, restaurants, bars, and art galleries. Afterward, visit the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art. This museum is an international art and cultural center for the display of both Korean art and world art. Most of the exhibits are based on the large collection of the founder Lee Byung-chul, once president of the Samsung Group. Click here to see photos. At dusk, we visit the N Seoul Tower, a must-see destination. Seoul Tower is considered one of the tallest towers in Asia.

Visit the Gyeongbokgung Palace Built in 1395, considered as one of the most beautiful palaces in Seoul. Next, explore the Gana Art gallery. Since the late 1990s, the gallery has supported promising young artists and expanded to New York in March of 2008. Have lunch and tour the Bukchon Hanok Village. Surrounded by Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village is home to hundreds of traditional houses, called hanok, that date back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910 AD). Many of these hanoks operate as cultural centers. Here we will go “Hanok Hopping” and are invited to a private Hanok for tea. Lastly, visit a hanok where they produce handmade gold imprinted textiles.

Visit the Daelim Museum, designed by French architect, Vincent Corn. The gallery studies, analyzes, and presents modern art through the lens of photography. Afterward, go shopping in Insa- dong for traditional goods. Then on to the Hyoje Gallery located in a hanok to visit with artisans. To wrap up the day we enter a furniture museum Hanok that showcases a collection of more than 2,000 pieces of varied traditional Korean antique furniture.

Depart on a day excursion to the Demilitarized Zone where the armistice was signed in 1953, ending the 3-year long Korean War. Learn more of the conflict at the DMZ theater before visiting the tunnel discovered in 1978, dug by North Korea to invade South Korea. End the field study visit at Dora Observatory located within the DMZ where one can view the civilian life of North Korea such as farmlands, soldiers, and a propaganda village. On the return stop for tea at the Heyri Art Valley. The valley is filled with Korean artists of various specialties such as writers, painters, actors, architects, and musicians. There is something to see here for every art enthusiast with more than 40 museums, exhibition centers, and concert halls.

Today depart to Gyeongju on high seep rail to visit The Silla Tombs, ancient tombs of kings and noblemen of the Silla Dynasty in Tumuli Park. There are twenty-three large tombs located here, the most famous tomb being Cheonmachong & Hwangnamdaechong. There are 11,526 remains and crowns inside the Cheonmachong tomb showing the lavish lifestyle of the king. Hwangnamdaechong tomb houses the bodies of both king and queen and has over 30,000 relics and gold accessories. In Hwangnamdaechong the queen’s tomb has more luxurious accessories. Next, we walk next door to the Gyeongju National Museum which houses the Silla Tombs Ancient Art & Artifacts. This includes magnificent gold crowns, Buddhist artifacts, stone sculptures, earthenware, and the Emille Bell (the largest ancient bell in South Korea). (2 Nights)

Visit the UNESCO Heritage site Bulguksa temple. The hundred years old Bulguksa Temple is a repository for some of the country’s most important treasures. It is Korea’s most famous temple because of its restoration and magnificent Silla era art & architecture. Next visit the UNESCO Heritage site Seokguram Grotto, an artificial cave grotto fashioned in the hills above Bulguksa temple. The chapel as a whole is unequal in the art of the Far East.

Today visit the Icheon Ceramics Village & Haegang Ceramic Museum. Here see the full process of making pottery, meet the artisans, and buy their ceramic art creations. End the day with a stop at the National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, Gwacheon opened in 1986. The building offers a superb balance of traditional design, modern, and contemporary art. (1 Night)

Breakfast and morning at leisure. Then transfer to Incheon international airport for return flights to the U.S.